Feeding of cards from a stack



May 16, 1939. HORGAN 2,158,505

FEEDING OF CARDS FROM A STACK Filed May 28, 1938 INVENTOR GEOR E DANIELHORGAN BY AV$MJ ATTORNEY Patented May 16, 1939 PATENT OFFICE FEEDING OFCARDS FROM A STACK George Daniel Horgan, London, England, assignor toAmericarrMachine & Foundry, Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application May 28; 1938, Serial No. 210,635 InGreat BritainJune 18; 1937 8 Claims.

This invention relates to the feeding of cards from a stack and hasparticular reference to the feeding of the slides of slide and shellcartons from the bottom of a stack, whereby the lowest 5:. slide isselected from the stack and delivered by a reciprocating tooth device tofeed rolls by which it is fed to appropriate mechanism for the furthertreatment of the slide.

An object of the invention is to provide an im- 10- proved andsimplified means for selecting the lowest card from the stack anddelivering it to the feed rolls.

According to the invention a reciprocating feeding element or abutmentis provided having selecting means adapted to select the lowermost cardfromthe stack, such means comprising a support for the adjacent edge ofthe cards, and a knife or tooth, the edge of which is spaced. from thesupport to provide a gap through which the 0 lowermost card passes toengage the feeding element or abutment.

The gap between the supporting surface and the knife may be adjustableto suit the thickness of the cards.

The support is preferably provided with an upper card-engaging surfacewhich is curved transversely to provide a line contact support for thecards. The upper edge of the knife may be similarly curved.

In the accompanying drawing which diagrammatically illustrates theinvention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, and

Figure 2 a detail perspective view of one form;

Figures 3 and 4 are plan and elevation of a modified form of the toothedselector and associated parts.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient modeasin its application to the feeding of slides of slide and shell cartonswhich are arranged in a vertical stack, the stack 5 is guided byvertical guide elements 6 which are adjustable to suit the dimensions ofthe cards. The foremost and rear edges of the lowermost card of thestack are supported upon surfaces arranged along the median line of thecard, such surfaces being curved transversely of the direction of feed.The forward supporting surface 1 is inclined upwardly in the directionof feed and cooperates with a gate element 8 adjustableverticallywhereby the space between the lower edge of the gate elementand the supporting surface may be adjusted to provide a space justsufllcient for the thickness of the card. This gate element andsupporting surface'may be arranged as dis-'- 55 closed in'Patent No.2,109,208. Forwardly'ofthe gate element, feeding rolls and areciprocating feed element (not shown) may be provided similar to thosedescribed in the specification referred to for feeding the selectedslide to the appropriate part of a packing machine.

The rear supporting element 9 is downwardly directed in the direction offeed and is mounted upon or formed integrally with a reciprocatingfeeding element or abutment Ill, the abutting surface ll of which isspaced from the rear edge of the supporting surface 9. The feed elementor abutment [0 has also mounted thereon a tooth or'selecting knifeelement [2, the forward edge of which is arranged more or lessvertically above the" rear edge of the supporting surface 9. The

tooth or knife element I2 is mounted upon the reciprocating abutment I!)so that the distance of the forward edge of the knife and the rear edgeof the supporting surface 9 may be adjusted to suit the thickness of thecards, such that when the feeding element or abutment It! is movedbeneath the stack 5 only one card Will be selected by'the tooth or knifeselector.

According to a convenient arrangement the tooth or knife selector I2 ismounted upon a surface 13 of the feeding abutment which is inclinedupwardly in the direction of the feed, said surface being grooved toaccommodate the tooth or knife whereby it is guided in its adjustingmovements. with a longitudinally extending slot I4 through which anadjustment screw l5 projects.

The forward edge of the knife is bevelled off and is also slopedtransversely so that the knife presents a central forward portion to thecards 1 (see Figure 2). The forward edge of the knife may also be curvedtransversely to conform more or less to the curving of the support 9 forthe cards. Suitable means are provided for reciprocating the feedingelement or abutment which may comprise a reciprocating bar or slide l6upon which the abutment It is mounted, said bar being linked to anoscillating lever I! which may be cam or crank operated.

The feeding element or abutment is provided with slotted side cheeks itby which it is secured by screws Hi to the slide bar IS in a mannerpermitting adjustment in the direction of feed.

In addition to the forward and rear curved supporting surfaces 1 and 9for the stack, side supports may be provided as in the specificationreferred to above, but it is preferred that the supporting means shallbe such that the cards tend to have an upwardly curved or arched shapewhen in the stack.

The tooth or knife !2 is provided In operation, as the feeding abutmentI0 is fed toward the cards the selecting tooth l2 moves between thelowermost card and the next in the stack, whereby the rear edge of thelowermost card during the further forward movement of the abutmententers the space between the tooth and the rear edge of the support 9and thus comes into contact with the feeding surface II of the abutmentwhereby the card is fed through the space between the gate 8 and thesupport I and into the feeding rolls by which it is delivered to theappropriate part of the packing mechanism.

According to a modified arrangement (see Figures 3 and 4) the selectingtooth and supporting surface may be mounted upon the reciprocating slideor bar independently of one an other.

Thus the supporting surface 9 is provided with a base portion 2!! havingslots 2| by which it is adjustably secured to the slide bar i5 by screws22.

The reciprocating abutment i0 and selecting tooth 52 are pivotallymounted upon a base member 23 which is adjustably secured to the slidebar 16 by screws 24.

By adjusting either or both base members 29 and 23 the tooth I2 may bemade to overlap the surface 9 or not as desired.

The vertical adjustment of the tooth i2 is obtained by adjusting screws25 and 26 which will act upon opposite sides of the pivotal axis of theabutment and selecting tooth.

Obviously instead of adjusting the tooth in a vertical directionrelatively to the surface 9, the surface may itself be adjusted, thetooth being fixed or not as desired.

I claim:

1. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stackcomprising a feeding abutment, means for reciprocating the abutmentbeneath the stack, and means operatively coupled to the abutment forselecting the lowest card from the stack, said selecting meanscomprising a support for the adjacent edge of the stack and a selectingtooth the edge of which is spaced from said support to provide a gapthrough which the lowest card passes for engagement by the abutment,said support being movable simultaneously with said abutment and saidtooth to a position in which the stack is elevated by said movement ofthe support and from which position the tooth is advanced by the samemovement of the support to engage, select and separate the lowest cardfrom the stack, continued movement of the support advancing the abutmentto feed said lowest card from the stack.

2. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stack,comprising a feeding abutment, means for reciprocating the abutmentbeneath the stack, means operatively coupled to the abutment forselecting the lowest card from the stack, said selecting meanscomprising a support for the adjacent edge of the stack, a selectingtooth, the edge of which is spaced from said support to provide a gapthrough which the lowest card passes for engagement by the abutment, andmeans for adjusting said gap to suit the thickness of the cards.

3. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stack,comprising a feeding abutment, means for reciprocating the abutmentbeneath the stack, means operatively coupled to the abutment forselecting the lowest card from the stack, said selecting meanscomprising a support for the adjacent edge of the stack, a selectingtooth, the edge of which is spaced from said support to provide a gapthrough which the lowest card passes for engagement by the abutment,means for adjusting said gap to suit the thickness of the cards,including means to mount said selecting tooth pivotally, and means foradjusting the tooth about said pivot to vary said gap to suit thethickness of the cards.

4. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stack,comprising a feeding abutment, means for reciprocating the abutmentbeneath the stack, means operatively coupled to the abutment forselecting the lowest card from the stack, said selecting meanscomprising a support for the adjacent edge of the stack, a selectingtooth, the edge of which is spaced from said support to provide a gapthrough which the low est card passes for engagement by the abutment,means for adjusting said gap to suit the thickness of the cards,including an inclined surface on which said selecting tooth is mountedmovably, and means for securing said tooth in adjusted position alongsaid inclined surface to vary said gaps to suit the thickness of thecards.

5. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stack,comprising a feeding abutment, means for reciprocating the abutmentbeneath the stack, means operatively coupled to the abutment forselecting the lowest card from the stack, said selecting meanscomprising a support for the adjacent edge of the stack, a selectingtooth, the edge of which is spaced from said support to provide a gapthrough which the lowest card passes for engagement by the abutment,means for adjusting said gap to suit the thickness of the cards, asupport for the forward edges of the cards, and a gate element locatedabove said last-named support to provide an exit gap through which thecards pass, the upper surfaces of said supports being inclineddownwardly toward one another.

6. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stack,comprising a feeding abutment. means for reciprocating the abutmentbeneath the stack, means operatively coupled to the abutment forselecting the lowest card from the stack, said selecting meanscomprising a support for the adjacent edge of the stack, a selectingtooth, the edge of which is spaced from said support to provide a gapthrough which the lowest card passes for engagement by the abutment,means for adjusting said gap to suit the thickness of the cards, and asupport having a cooperating gate element for the forward edges of thecards, the upper surfaces of said supports being transversely convex.

'7. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stack,comprising a feeding abutment, means for reciprocating the abutmentbeneath the stack, means operatively coupled to the abutment forselecting the lowest card from the stack, said selecting meanscomprising a support for the adjacent edge of the stack, a selectingtooth, the edge of which is spaced from said support to provide a gapthrough which the lowest card passes for engagement by the abutment,means for adjusting said gap to suit the thickness of the cards, areciprocating slide upon which said abutment and selecting tooth aremounted, and means for adjusting the abutment and tooth and the supportrelatively to said slide in the direction of feed.

8. Means for feeding cards or the like from the bottom of a stack,comprising a feeding abutment, means for reciprocating the abutmentbeabutment, means for adjusting said gap to suit the thickness of thecards, said abutment and adjacent support being formed integrally witheach other, a reciprocating slide, and means to adjust said abutment andsupport upon said slide 5 in the direction of feed.

GEORGE DANIEL HORGAN.

